Thursday, April 19, 2012

Hi there! Thanks for coming back for part two of my mini makeover series! Yesterday I shared a simple handmade touch to a store-bought dress and today I'm sharing a tutorial on how to make zipper pulls for a store-bought bag!

I got this bag at Target for around $30.

I love it. It's sturdy, cute, and holds a ton! And there are a bunch of pockets which is my favorite. I have made myself a lot of purses and bags and totes, but have yet to make a cross-body bag of this nature. Maybe someday, but until then I'll stick to adding a handmade accent to a super functional bag.

This is a crazy simple tutorial and would be a great beginner project or scrap buster for you veterans. Here we go!

You'll need:

existing zipper pulls as a guide

fabric & coordinating thread

basic sewing tools

fray check

Remove existing zipper pulls from bag and measure the length so you know how long to cut your fabric strips.

Cut your fabric strips 2 inches x the length of the current pulls. I made mine a little wider than the originals because I wanted them to stand out more.

Press the strip in half length wise then press the two long edges into the middle.

Press flat. Repeat for second strip.

Top-stitch down each edge with coordinating thread. I used an 1/8" top-stitch here. Repeat for second strip.

Trim the edges up nice and neat since things can tend to shift a smidge during sewing. Do this for both strips.

Apply fray check to both trimmed edges of each strip and allow for it to dry. Once the edges are dried, put the new pulls where you took off the old ones!

Just a simple little addition, but I think it adds a bit of character and handmade goodness to what was already a fabulous bag! Enjoy!